You Set Me Free
by DarkRaven2008
Summary: Edward leaves Bella after the attack from James. Alice has been keeping a secret from Carlisle and Bella. Can Bella's heart heal? Can she learn to love again? Formally titled Crazy Thing Called Love. Now betaed by the lovely Savari! B/C A/J R/Em Es/? Ed/?
1. 1 End of the World

**A/N ****I have been tossing this story idea back a forth in my head for awhile now. It is my first time writing a Twilight FanFic so bear with me please! So here is the deal if you all seem to like this first chapter then I will continue on with the story. I do not have a beta right now so if anyone would like the job send me a PM. I hope you all like this! Please R&R**

**This takes place after James has attacked Bella at the ballet studio in book one. It starts with her waking up in the hospital. This is a Carlisle and Bella fic so if you do not like this pairing then don't read. If you do like this pair please review and let me know if you like this little bit so far. Enjoy!**

**I do not own Twilight, it is owned by Stephanie Meyers. I just like to play with them too.**

**I am reposting the first for chapter. This has now been edited by the lovely Savari! She is an amazing beta! You rock my socks Savari!**

I awoke to the sound of beeping. Loud, annoying beeping. I didn't need to open my eyes to know exactly where I was- the smell of the room was plenty to inform me that this was a hospital. And I was, as I have frequently been during my short life, its patient. It doesn't matter where you go; hospitals always smell the same- like plastic and bleach.

I was afraid to move and find out what injuries I had sustained this time. I slowly opened my eyes to try and find where that persistent beeping was coming from and to survey my damaged body. I could see that my leg was broken and now bound in a cast. The only other sign of injury I could find was a bandage on my wrist. I tried hard to piece together my memories and figure out what had happened to me but my mind was heavy with a sleep-and-meds induced fog.

I gave up on trying to remember how I'd obtained my injuries. Setting that conundrum aside for now, and turned my attention to the room around me. The mystery of the strange, irritating beeping was solved the moment my eyes met the IV beside by bed. _That doesn't sound good._

Just as I came to the conclusion that perhaps my IV needed changing or something, a nurse walked through the door carrying a bag of what I could only guess was saline.

"Well, good evening sleeping beauty." She said as she changed the IV bag. She picked up my chart and began jotting something down. Once she finished writing she turned to me with a smile on her face. "How are you feeling? Any pain?"

I tried to speak but my mouth and throat were so dry I couldn't get anything out. She continued to look at me while awaiting my answer and I put my hand up to my throat to try and get her to understand. I saw her face register realization and she quickly turned to the bedside table, reaching for something that was beyond my field of vision.

"Oh, of course, your throat must be as dry as a desert," she turned back to me and handed me a plastic cup of water. "Here, have a sip of this. Go slow with it okay?" I nodded and took the cup from her hand.

I took a sip and swallowed slowly. It may have just been water but it tasted like heaven. I took a few more small mouthfuls and handed the cup back to her. "Thankyou," I said, my voice barely breaking above a raspy whisper.

"You're welcome, hun. Now tell me, are you felling any pain, nausea?" She asked me while checking the bandage on my wrist.

I had to think about it for a second before I could answer her. "I guess I'm okay right now. My head feels all fuzzy, though. What happened to me?"

Before she could answer there was a knock on the door. "Be right back, sweetie," she smiled as she left my side and crossed to open the door. I couldn't quite make out what was being said but I could tell she was speaking to a man. After a moment she closed the door and returned to my bedside. "Well, hun, you seem to have some visitors. A Carlisle and Alice Cullen. Would you like them to come in?" She asked as she rewrapped the bandaging on my wrist.

"Yes please." I whispered. She nodded to me and walked back over to let them in.

"Thank you,"Carlisle murmured to the nurse as he stepped inside. I watched Alice follow behind him and hesitate for a moment before walking slowly over to my bedside, tears of venom pooling in her wide eyes.

The nurse eyed us all with dawning understanding. "No problem. Let me know if you all need anything. I'm just a page away, okay? Just ring the call bell and it will send a message directly to my pager," she told us and then closed the door behind her. She told us kindly before leaving the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

As soon as the door closed Carlisle sped over to my bedside and picked up my chart. He scanned over it in a matter of seconds and then set it back down, evidently satisfied with what he read. He sat down softly on the foot of my bed and gently examined my cast. Once he was finished he finally looked up at me.

"Bella, how are you feeling?" his voice sounded saddened but his face showed no emotion.

"Fine, I guess. I'm having trouble remembering what happened though." I could remember bits and pieces but everything was so fuzzy.

Carlisle took my hand in his and began unwinding the bandages on my wrist. I hadn't really looked at what was beneath them while the nurse had the bandage off so I didn't know what to expect. As soon as the last of the wrapping had fallen away I could clearly see the silver crescent-shaped bite mark. Then it all came back to me.

Ballet Studio.

James.

Renee.

Pain.

Edward.

Pain. Burning pain.

Fire. Excruciating pain.

Alice. Carlisle. Edward.

Pain. Darkness.

Everything hit me at once. James had tried to kill me. Renee was never really there. He bit me and I remember the insidious burn as his venom spread through me. I remember Edward sucking it out and then everything going black. I couldn't breathe. This was too much. Where was Edward? Why wasn't he here?

"Bella dear, you need to try and relax. Slow down your breathing, you don't want to pass out do you?" Carlisle spoke softly to me and brushed some hair away from my face and gently tucked it behind my ear. I took a couple of deep breaths and looked at him. He gave me a slight smile and I felt myself almost immediately relax. _It's okay. Carlisle's here and Edward can't be far away._

"That's better. Now, let's take this slow okay? What's the last thing you remember?"

I took a slow breath and tried to form my answer. "Edward was sucking out the venom from my wrist and then everything went black and I woke up here." I looked over at Alice. She just stood still not uttering a single word. She looked like someone who had just been given a death sentence.

"Alice, what's wrong? Is everyone okay? Where's Renee? Where's Edward?" I was starting to freak out again. Alice sighed and then looked to the floor for a moment before looking back at me.

"Renee is in the waiting room with Charlie, they are both fine." Why wasn't she saying anything about Edward?

"And Edward?" I asked but she looked away from me again. I was getting nervous. She looked to Carlisle and he nodded slightly. "What is going on? Tell me what the**_hell_**happened!"

Alice flinched and handed me an envelope quickly. "I'm so sorry Bella." She bent down and kissed my cheek lightly and then left the room, her movements much more subdued than normal.

I looked down at the envelope in my hands and saw my name written on the front in Edward's distinctive handwriting. I turned to Carlisle with a questioning look on my face.

"Bella, do you want me to leave you alone while you read it?" he asked but I could tell he didn't want to leave me alone. I didn't want him to leave me alone either. I had the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach that whatever was in this letter was not good news. How could it be if Edward couldn't even tell me face to face? I shook my head no and he gently gave my good hand a reassuring squeeze. I turned back to the envelope and slowly slid my thumbnail along the seal, taking my time because – to be honest – I really didn't want to know what was so bad that it required stationery to tell me. I pulled out the letter inside, unfolded it with exaggerated care and began to read.

_Bella,_

_I know I should be doing this in person but I cannot bring myself to say this to your face. I have decided to move and leave the family for awhile. With everything that has happened recently I just feel that being on my own is best for me at this time._

_I have enjoyed our time together but I have come to realize that you and I are not soul mates. I am sorry if you feel differently but it is what it is. I hope that you can find someone who makes you truly happy. Be safe._

_Yours Truly,_

_Edward Cullen_

WHAT THE FUCK! It had to be a joke. It just had to be, right? No way could I be in a hospital bed - recovering from being attacked by a psycho vampire - and wake up to a Dear John letter! But I could feel it in the roiling pit of my stomach; it wasn't a joke. What had I done to deserve this?

I started to shake with sobs, tears running down my face. I felt like my heart was breaking into a million pieces. Did our time together mean nothing to him? Was I just some teenage school girl with a stupid crush? Apparently I was. I looked up from the letter and into Carlisle's eyes. I figured I would see pity but all I saw was love and compassion. I handed him the letter but he was hesitant to take it.

"It's okay, you can read it." I whispered. I stared at his face while he read the letter over. At first I saw confusion and then his face twisted into a mask of pure anger. He clenched his jaw and I could see his free hand was balled up into a fist. He waited a few minutes before he looked up at me again. All traces of anger had washed away.

"I am truly and deeply sorry for the pain my son has caused you, Isabella. No one deserves a letter like this. Is there anything I can do?" He had a look of such sadness on his face that itnearly broke my heart all over again. I closed my eyes and started to cry once more. He wiped the tears from my face and shushed me softly. He told me everything would be alright but I didn't see how that was possible. After awhile of crying myself into exhaustion I finally looked at him again. After I had cried myself into an exhausted haze of numbness I finally looked up at him again.

"I want to go home, please," I begged. "I just want to go home."

"Of course Isabella, let me go speak to the doctor and your parents. I will get everything straightened out so we can get you home." He gave me a slight smile and leaned down to kiss my forehead before standing up to leave. When he reached the door he turned back to me. "And Isabella, this doesn't change anything; I and my family love you and no matter what happens you will always be a part of our family."


	2. 2 Bad Day

**A/N Thank you to everyone who is reading this story! I forgot to mention that every chapter will be a song title; I know it's been done but it helps me with the mood of the chapters. This chapter I wrote while listening to Bad Day by Fuel. Hope you all like this chapter. Thank you to ImAnInspiredFan and Seph7 for your wonderful reviews! Again this I do not have a beta right now. I you or anyone you know would like that job please send me a PM. Please R&R and of course enjoy!**

**I do not own Twilight, it is owned by Stephanie Meyers. I just like to play with them too.**

**I am reposting the first four chapters. This has now been edited by the lovely Savari! She is an amazing beta! You rock my socks Savari!**

It had been eight weeks since we arrived back in Forks. Renee had asked me if I wanted to move back to Phoenix but I assured her that I wanted to stay in Washington. Carlisle spoke to Charlie and after a long debate I was allowed to temporarily move in with the Cullens, because with my cast I would be unable to make it up the stairs to my bedroom at Charlie's. Alice had already seen that I was coming to stay with them so she and Esme set up a room for me on the first floor of their house to help accommodate my situation.

No one had heard from Edward since Phoenix, but for some reason I couldn't really find it in me to care. I had come to the realization that, though I may have loved Edward Cullen, he was most certainly not my soul mate. A soul mate was someone who treated you like an equal, not a like a child or someone not worthy of your time. That is how I saw my time with him. I felt numb more than anything, as though my head and my heart didn't know what to do next, what to feel next. Everyone was keeping me busy doing things around the house so I didn't have time to dwell on what I had lost- not that I really had anything to lose in the first place. The first week or two I kept to myself for the most part and wallowed in self pity, but soon enough Jasper came to talk me out of my funk because he said he was tired of picking up my "emo vibes".

After my pep talk with Jasper things got easier with every passing day. Alice was back to her normal perky self and with that she was also back to using me as her own personal, life sized Bella Barbie doll. Because of my cast I couldn't hide from her like I sometimes tended to. One thing that occurred was the fact that Rosalie was actually warming up to me somewhat. I found out that she could actually be a nice person - or, um… vampire - when she wanted to be. It was nice to see her drop the whole bitchy "I am better than you" routine. I was starting to think maybe she had picked that up from Edward, and now with him gone she was out from under his arrogant influence. I wouldn't say we were best buds yet but at least we were starting to get along a little better. Hey, it was progress; I was gonna take what I could get.

Whenever I had a particularly bad day Emmett was always there to cheer me up. He was like the brother I'd never had but always wanted. No matter how many hours we spent playing video games I could never beat him. During the time that he and I spent together I came to know why everyone in the house called him the "Prank King". One day while Alice and Rosalie were out hunting he took a trip to each of their closets and cleaned house. He then proceeded to take every item of clothing he had gathered and hide them deep in the forest. When the girls got home from their trip Alice went straight to the garage and took his precious jeep hostage with two cans of hot pink spray paint. In the end Emmett caved and gave up the location of the clothes, but not before his baby received a lovely new detailed paint job. Emmett was the proud new owner of a pink flower power jeep.

After all the weeks I had spent cooped up in a cast you might think I'd be thrilled to get it off, but I had mixed feelings. I was glad that I would be able to move around again on my own, but on the other hand that also meant my time at the Cullens' house was up. I did miss Charlie, but thinking about leaving their house made me terribly sad.

I was sitting next to the window, staring out into the forest, thinking about how I would be returning to Charlie's tonight when a very exasperated Jasper stormed into the room.

"Bella for the love of God please stop moping! Your emotions are making me want to curl up in a ball, sit in the corner, and rock myself. I am sorry but there is no way I am going to be doing that." He stood there with his hands on his hips waiting for me to answer but I ignored him and continued staring out the window. I saw him move towards me out of the corner of my eye. He sat down next to me and let out a soft sigh. "Bella, I'm sorry but you have to tell me what's wrong, darlin' - the sadness you are putting out is so strong that I am tempted to ask Carlisle if they make Prozac for vampires. So please tell me what the matter is and maybe I can help."

"I don't want to leave," I sighed, still looking out the window. Just saying that made me feel even worse and I started to shake with sobs.

"Oh Bella, darlin', what would ever make you think you had to leave?" He took my hands in his and rubbed his thumbs on the backs of mine.

"I get my cast off today." I looked down at our joined hands. I could feel him pushing his calming influence on me and I let out a sigh. I stopped shaking but I could still feel the silent tears streaming down my face.

"And?" he asked.

"And now there's no reason for me to be here. I'll have to go home." I still couldn't look up at him.

"Bells I swear I don't know where you get these ideas of yours," he sighed and dropped my hands before standing and walking to the door. "Darlin', I'll be right back."

As soon as he left I started to sob uncontrollably again and curled up into a ball as best I could, considering the cast on my leg. I heard a knock at the door but didn't answer. The door slowly creaked open and then shut.

"Isabella, is it okay if we speak for a moment?" I turned my head to see Carlisle standing by the door. I gave him a slight nod and he walked over and joined me at the window. I looked up at him and he let out a sigh. He reached a hand over and wiped away the tears from my cheeks with his thumb. "What's going on in that head of yours, sweetheart?"

I looked into his eyes for a moment and I swear my heart skipped a beat. He looked at me with such love and compassion that I didn't know what to say. Just that look from him made leaving their house hurt that much more. "Please, please don't make me leave. I don't want to go."

He lifted me up onto his lap and held me while I cried. He stroked my hair and whispered kind words to me, trying to get me to calm down. After a little while he pulled back to look at me and gave me a soft smile. "Isabella, if you do not wish to leave then that is perfectly fine. We would never _make_ you leave. I have told you this before; we all love you and you are a part of this family, no matter what. Okay?" I nodded my head to let him know I understood.

"Good. Now I think we should get going so we can remove that cast." He stood up, still holding me, and gently carried me to the living room. Carlisle sat me down on the sofa next to Alice and told me that he needed to grab something from his office before we could go. As soon as I was set down Alice turned to me with gentle eyes.

"Don't worry Bella, everything is gonna be just fine. Charlie is going to be fine with you staying here since he isn't home much anyways. Carlisle will drop you off at the station just before your dad gets off work. Talk to him tonight over dinner and he will understand. Just trust me," she assured me and gave me one of her award winning smiles. I smiled back at her and gave her a grateful hug. Carlisle came back down the stairs and said it was time to go. He picked me back up and walked us out to his Mercedes. Once he got me and himself situated in the car he pulled out and as we drove towards town I somehow knew that Alice was right; everything would be okay.


	3. 3 Break Stuff

**A/N: First of all I want to say that I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get this chapter out. All I can say is that real life got in the way. I have been working on the outline for the story and am glad to say it is really starting to come along. This chapter is a bit longer than my first two so I hope that makes up for a bit of my absence.**

**I want to thank everyone who has reviewed, alerted, and added this story to your favorites. I hope you all will continue to read my story. Please let me know what you think!**

**The chapter is titled after the some Break Stuff by Limp Bizkit. In this chapter when Carlisle is dealing with his anger and inner monster this is the song that came to mind.**

**I do not own Twilight, it is owned by Stephanie Meyers. I just like to play with them too.**

**I am reposting the first four chapters. This has now been edited by the lovely Savari! She is an amazing beta! You rock my socks Savari!**

**Carlisle's POV**

The past two months have been the longest of my existence on this earth. Having been around for so long, I have seen both the greatest joys that this world has to offer and the deepest sorrows as well. Since we arrived back in Forks, things have been tense to say the least. Bella took up residence with us during her recovery period. Charlie was not thrilled with the idea, to say the least, but after assuring him that Edward would not be there his nerves seemed to ease a bit. The cover story that we were to tell people was that he had gone off in search of his birth parents and, since he was of "legal age", he was free to come and go as he pleased. Truthfully, I would be pleased if he didn't come back, at least for the near future.

Edward had called two weeks after we arrived back home and refused to speak to anyone but myself. I knew that it was inevitable that he would call, but a part of me did not want to talk to him. On the other hand, I had things that I needed to say to him.

**_*Flash back*_**

_I was sitting in my study going over some charts that I had brought home from the hospital when Alice knocked on my door._

_"Come in, Alice." Sighing, I closed the chart I had been working on and leaned back in my leather chair. She walked in at a human pace which was my first clue that something was wrong. I looked up to the ceiling and said a silent prayer, hoping against hope that what she was about to tell me would not cause further turmoil amongst my family. How wrong I was._

_"Carlisle, we need to talk." She sat down on one of the chairs in front of my desk. She looked down at her hands almost as if she was trying to find the words she so desperately wanted to tell me. She took a shallow breath and looked up at me. "Edward will be calling you today and I thought you might want to have a heads up about what will be said." I nodded my head and waited for the impending news._

_"He is currently in Alaska with the Denalis. He made Eleazer swear that he wouldn't call you, otherwise you would have known sooner. He isn't the same Edward that we used to know, anymore. There are some things that I have seen that I haven't told anyone; some things that happened before the incident in Phoenix." She looked back down at her hands and let out a heavy sigh._

_"Alice, dear, what did you see?" I was somewhat frightened to ask, but I knew that if she was bringing it up now that it must have had some importance. She looked back up at me with venom filled eyes. I could not remember a time when I had seen her so sad. I went over to her and sat in the chair by her side, taking her small hands in my own in an attempt to calm her so that she could continue. "Alice, whatever it may be, you can tell me."_

_"He lied, Carlisle- to Bella and to us. All of those solo "hunting trips" that he went on were just a cover for what he was really doing- he was cheating on Bella with Tanya." She was talking barely above a whisper, but I could still hear every single word she said. "They started seeing each other shortly after he started seeing Bella. Carlisle, this is all my fault; I could have, no- I_ should_ have prevented this. How could I let this happen?"_

_I was stunned. Plain and simple. If a vampire could go into shock I believe I would have in that moment. My son, my first companion in this immortal life, had lied to me. But worse than that, he had lied to Isabella. That thought alone broke my heart. She didn't deserve to be treated like this. My heart was breaking for her again, hearing this news. I had thought that things could not have been worse than what had happened in Phoenix, but apparently I was wrong. I was brought out of my thoughts by Alice sobbing next to me. I had a feeling that there was more she had yet to say._

_"Carlisle, this next part I have to tell you is something that I wish I could have seen sooner. I still don't know why I didn't see it 'till Phoenix, but I can't help but hope that maybe this is the silver lining on this miserable cloud. I wish I could have seen it much sooner and saved us all some heart ache, but it is what it is and I can't change that." She took a breath and looked me in the eyes. "I know that this will be hard to believe, but you must believe it Carlisle. Bella is your mate."_

_Again I felt like I was going into shock. Isabella Swan, my mate? But how? How could I have not known sooner? Why hadn't I felt the pull that all vampires feel when they first lay eyes on their mate? I was confused, and for me that was a rarity. "What do you mean, Alice? Why didn't I know sooner?"_

_She took one of my hands and held it between hers. "I don't know Carlisle. All I know is that you are the one she truly belongs with. As soon as Edward left in Phoenix the visions of you and Bella just poured into me with such force and intensity that Jazz had to almost knock me out in order to calm me down. I have come to the conclusion that Edward was purposely dazzling her to make her infatuated with him. Jasper had always felt feelings of love from Edward for Bella, but Jasper has come to realize that it was only the fact that she was his singer that caused him to have those feelings. He was in love with the idea of her blood, not with Bella herself."_

_How could he do this? How dare he do that to my Isabella! Wait, _my _Isabella? I had always felt protective of her but I had also always thought my feelings were of a purely parental nature. No, I was wrong. I thought back to the first time I saw her in the hospital. Her large brown doe eyes. Her luscious wavy brown hair. Her full kissable lips. Her soft feminine voice that could have made my dead heart skip a beat if it still did. Now that I thought back, I knew that she was my mate. How could I have been so blind? I would have found happiness sooner if it hadn't been for Edward. Just his name in my thoughts made me want to tear something apart. I could feel the monster I had kept locked away for so long begin to awaken. I was going to find Edward and kill him. Slowly._

_"Carlisle, you can't kill him. I know that right now you want to - trust me, I want to as well- but you can't. You need to focus on Bella right now. She's in bad shape Carlisle, and I'm not talking physically. Her heart is broken and you are the only one who will be able to fix it when the time comes. I know, now that you know she is your mate you want to comfort her and protect her, but you need keep your current relationship and distance from her so she can heal. She needs time and if you rush this you will just end up making things worse for her- and for yourself. Everything will work out in the end, just give it time. I promise that I will tell you when she is ready to hear this okay?" She finished her little rant with a smile to reassure me that she knew what she was talking about. I had never bet against Alice and I was not about to start now. I nodded to let her know that I understood. "Now, Edward will be calling you in 8 minutes and he is going to come clean to you about his lies. He doesn't know that Bella is staying with us and he won't take the news well when you tell him. Just try and keep calm when you're talking to him. You need to remember that he isn't the same vampire you knew before."_

_"Alice, should I be worried about him coming back for Isabella?" I was afraid that she would say yes. Now that I knew Isabella was meant for me, I was not going to let her go._

_"I haven't seen him coming back. All I can really tell you is that he is going to be very upset, but he needs to hear everything that I've just told you. Like I said, just stay calm, no matter what he says." She stood and walked over to the door, but paused before she left. "You and Bella are going to be amazing together. Just give it time." And with that she disappeared, just as my phone began to ring. I sighed and tried to calm my nerves for what was to come. Picking up my cell phone, I braced myself for the worst._

_"Hello," I answered, trying to make myself sound as normal as possible._

_"Hello, Carlisle." _

_Just hearing his voice stirred that monster within me. Calm, keep calm."Edward, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" I asked._

_"Would you believe that I just wanted to say hello to my father?" _

_I could hear the sarcasm permeating his voice._

_"Edward, get to the point, please." I wanted this conversation over as soon as possible. I could feel the usually deep reserves of my patience draining quickly._

_"Well, what has your boxers in a bunch, father? I just wanted to let you know that I'm staying with our cousins in Alaska and I wanted to see how my family back in Forks is doing."_

_He had to be joking."How do you think we are? You broke my Isabella's heart you selfish little bastard. Don't try and play nice, Edward. You fucked up and you know it." I was not proud of my choice of language, but I was really too pissed to care._

_"_You're_ Isabella?" He sounded confused._

_"Yes, that's right- _my Isabella_. She is _my_ mate, and you would do well to remember that from now on," I growled at him._

_"How interesting that is, not that it really matters. Anyway, back to why I'm calling. I was hoping I could come back and pick up a few things from the house. I'm enjoying my stay here in Alaska very much and I just wanted to grab a few of my things. I'm seeing Tanya now and I really couldn't be happier. I truly don't know why I even bothered with Bella, but that is in that past now. So, is it alright with you if I stop by father?" _

_He couldn't be serious! I suppressed the growl in my chest so I could finish this conversation quickly._

_"First, you do not get to call me your father. You are no longer welcome in this house or in this family. I know that you were seeing Tanya while you were with Isabella. Stay away from Forks, this family, this house and most importantly my mate. I do not need you to show up here and further upset her. This is the last time I will tell you this. Stay the fuck away, you son of a bitch!" And with that said I hung up on him. By the time I had calmed down, my entire office was destroyed. He could go on with his life and stay in Alaska, but if he came back here and hurt my Isabella again I would tear him apart._

After learning that Isabella was my mate and of Edwards' actions, things became tense for me to say the least. Isabella was always on my mind after that day. I wanted to do everything I could to help her find her way back to her old self. I wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be okay. I wanted to comfort her the way that she deserved to be comforted. I was her mate and she was mine, but all I could do was sit back and wait for when she would be in a place where she could deal with that information. So I waited. And waited.

I had just returned from a quick hunt to take Isabella to the hospital for her cast removal appointment and I could tell that something was off. As I made my way into the house I could hear Alice and Jasper talking in the living room, but they were speaking so softly I could not make out the words. I could hear my mate's heartbeat and breathing coming from her room but heard no other sounds. As soon as I entered the living room Alice and Jasper looked over at me, Alice with a bright smile on her face and I couldn't help but wonder why. Jasper, on the other hand, well he looked sick almost, though how that was possible I was not entirely sure.

"Everything okay in here?" I asked.

"Not yet, but it will be," Alice beamed. Jasper groaned as if he was in pain. I sat down across from them and looked at Jasper with concern.

"Jasper, are you alright?" He definitely didn't look alright.

"Oh, just peachy." He groaned again and stood up. "I'll be back." And with that he took off towards my mate's room at vampire speed.

"What is going on Alice?" I asked. If something was wrong with Isabella I needed to know.

"Calm down, Carlisle. She's fine, well no she's not really, but she will be."

Why did she have to be so confusing? "What do you mean?" I wanted a straight answer.

"Oh fine, she's sad because she thinks that since she is having her cast removed today she will have to move back to Charlie's. I had a vision a little while ago about this and I'm happy to tell you that she, in fact, will not be moving back. Charlie misses her but he is hardly home anymore, so he'll be okay with her staying here." She was beyond thrilled and to tell you the truth so was I. "Jasper will be back in a moment and then you need to go and talk to her. She thinks that she isn't welcome here anymore, but you need to show her that she is. You are the only one she will believe." At that moment Jasper returned from his visit to my mate and sat back down beside Alice. He looked even worse than before he left to talk to Isabella.

"Carlisle, please go talk to her. I can't take her emotions anymore. I think I might be the first suicidal vampire," he all but begged me.

I looked over to Alice again and she gave me a nod, indicating that it was okay. I stood and made my way towards Bella's room, pausing at the door to knock softly. She didn't answer so I opened it and made my way inside. Shutting the door behind me, I turned around to be greeted by a sight that broke my heart. She was sitting by the window, curled into a ball, and crying softly. It took me a moment before I could find my voice. "Isabella, is it okay if we speak for a moment?"

She looked over to me and nodded mutely. I approached her slowly and seated myself at her side by the window. She finally looked up at me and it hurt me to see so much pain on her face. I sighed softly and wiped away the tears that had streaked down her smooth, pale cheeks with my thumb. "What's going on in that head of yours, sweetheart?"

Her eyes searched my face for a moment before eventually locking onto mine. In that moment I wanted to tell her how much I loved her and cared for her, but I held back when she spoke.

"Please, please don't make me leave. I don't want to leave," she pleaded, large honey-coffee eyes imploring me not to push her away. It hurt my heart to know that she thought we would make her leave.

I picked her up gently and sat her in my lap, holding her close to me. I whispered softly to her and stroked her hair, threading my fingers through the fine, silky strands and trying to calm her down. I hated seeing her like this; it broke my undead heart. After a little while she began to calm down and I leaned back to look at her. I smiled warmly at her, happy to see that she had stopped crying. "Isabella if you do not wish to leave then that is perfectly fine. We would never make you do so. I have told you this before; we all love you and you are a part of this family no matter what. Okay?"

She didn't answer except to nod her head in acceptance.

"Good, now I think we should get going so we can get that cast off, don't you?" Still holding her to me, I rose and flashed us quickly to the living room. I sat her down on the sofa next to Alice and told her I would be right back, before dashing up to my office to retrieve something from my safe. After I got what I needed I made my way back downstairs to my mate.

On walking into the living room I saw Alice embracing Isabella in a hug while she looked over to me with an encouraging smile. I smiled back to her and approached the pair, bending down to lift my mate back into my arms.

As I placed Isabella gently in the car, I heard Alice speak to me from the living room, too low for Isabella to hear.

"Carlisle, she's ready to know."

I smiled to myself and slid into the driver's seat. I was happier than I had could ever remember being; Isabella was ready to know the truth, that she and I were mates. All I had to do now was figure out how to tell her.

**Well I hope you all liked this chapter! Please review and let me know what you think! Good, bad, or ugly I would like to know how you feel. Also let me know if you have any question or concerns. Till next time! *waves***


	4. 4 Fever

**Okay so I know I really really suck. You all most likely want to kill me for not updating, and I don't blame you. This chapter just gave me the worst case of writer's block I have ever had. I have then next few chapters planned but these one had to be written first. Now that I have this chapter written I should be back on track and will be updating at least one a week. I am still looking for a pre-reader or beta, or both. If you would like to help me out I would be so grateful to you! I hope you still like me after this chapter! It is not my best writing but the next chapters will be better I promise!**

**The song for this chapter is Fever. I like the Michael Buble version.**

**I do not own Twilight, it is owned by Stephanie Meyers. I just like to play with them too.**

**I am reposting the first four chapters. This has now been edited by the lovely Savari! She is an amazing beta! You rock my socks Savari!**

**Bella's POV**

Thick, uncomfortable silence pervaded the car on our ride to the hospital. I glanced surreptitiously at Carlisle every couple of minutes, covertly studying his expression. He looked to be deep in thought and several times I opened my mouth to ask him what was on his mind, before chickening out. I found his reticence quite odd because Carlisle was always so confident in himself and seemed to always know what to say and how to say it. Whatever was on his mind was truly distracting him because when I gently placed my hand on his arm he didn't even acknowledge my touch.

"Carlisle?" I gave his arm a little squeeze with my hand to see if I could pull him from his thoughts. He finally seemed snap out of his self-induced hypnosis and turned his head to me slightly. "Are you alright? You seem a million miles away. What's going on in that head of yours?"

He took a moment before he spoke. "I just have a few things that I am trying to figure out, Isabella. Nothing you should worry about." He looked at me for a moment and smiled warmly. I returned his smile and gave his arm a gentle squeeze once again before retracting my hand. He turned his full attention back to the road and let out a small sigh that I almost didn't hear.

"Well, you know that if you ever need to talk to someone, I'm all ears." I meant it. I really did. Carlisle always seemed to be there to listen to me when I needed someone to talk to, so if he needed to talk I would be there to listen for him.

"I know, sweetheart, and when the time is right I will most certainly be taking you up on that offer. I just need to figure a few things out myself first."

I nodded my agreement and returned my attention to the road ahead of us. For some reason I got a strange feeling in my chest when he called me sweetheart; it almost made me giddy. I didn't know where this was coming from all of a sudden and it made me want to change the subject. As if sensing my need for a new topic of conversation he spoke again. "So, are you excited to finally have that blasted cast removed?"

"I'm not sure if excited is a strong enough word." I laughed because there was nothing that I wanted more than to have this cast gone so I could actually do things for myself again. "Just the idea of being able to shower without having to cover my leg in plastic wrap again is amazing! Not to mention that I haven't been able to shave my leg in two months! Oh god, that's gonna be so gross!" I was almost babbling to myself and didn't realize what I had said to him until he started laughing. I thought back over what I told him and blushed about 20 shades of red. I slid down the seat a bit and buried my face in my hands.

"Oh my god, I cannot believe I just said that," I groaned into my hands. I felt like I was about to die of humiliation. Carlisle's laughter quieted to a soft chuckling and he reached over to me, grabbing one of my hands in his own cold one.

"Oh, sweetheart there is nothing to be embarrassed about. I did not mean to laugh at you, only to laugh with you." He held my hand and brushed his thumb over my palm. Hearing him call me sweetheart again and the movement of his thumb was doing some very interesting things to me. With every sweep of his thumb I felt a small jolt go straight to my core. I bit my bottom lip to trying to choke back a moan that was fighting to escape my mouth. I tried my best to hold it in but it broke free from my lips. Carlisle's thumb stopped and I looked away from our joined hands into his eyes. "Are you alright Isabella?" Oh god, since when did my name sound like _that_ when he said it?

"Yeah, fine . . . just fine," I mumbled. I seemed to have lost the ability to get out a fully coherent sentence._What the hell is wrong with me? This is Carlisle Cullen, father of you ex-boyfriend, and father of your best friend! He sees you as a daughter and you are practically drooling over the man! But God what a man he is! No, no Bella this is wrong. It's just a crush- it will blow over, right?_

"You seem a little flustered there Isabella. Are you quite sure you are alright?" He flashed a smirk at me, and I swear my panties dampened. I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding and forced myself to look away from him. Carlisle let out a sexy little chuckle while squeezing my hand and then placed my hand back in my lap. He then proceeded to put his hand on my forehead. "Hmm, you don't seem to have a fever. I wonder what could be wrong." He removed his hand from me and I whimpered at the feeling of his skin leaving mine. His touch felt amazing and I couldn't figure out why I felt this way. I chanced a glance at him, and the look on his face made me think that he knew exactly what he was doing to me. I quickly turned away and put the radio on. The song that came on only added to my embarrassment and all I wanted to do was crawl into a hole and hide away. Sometimes God has a sick sense of humor.

_Never know how much I love you, never know how much I care__  
__When you put your arms around me, I get a fever that's so hard to bear_

I groaned inwardly as the words filled the car. I loved the song, but at that moment I wished that any other song would play. I didn't think it could get any worse until I heard Carlisle start to sing along._Oh my God the man can sing!_This was cruel and unusual torture. I could feel my embarrassment start to fade away and it was replace with a deep longing for the man sitting next to me._I'm a sick, sick person! He is married to Esme, for heaven's sake!_

_You give me fever - when you kiss me, fever when you hold me tight__  
__Fever - in the morning, fever all through the night._

As the song continued I could feel my heart beat pick up and I knew he could hear it. The words of the song did not help the thoughts that came to my mind. Oh how I longed for Carlisle to kiss me and hold me tight to him. I wanted to feel his body close to mine. I wanted him to do anything to me that he wanted. I wanted to be his, plain and simple.

_Sun lights up the daytime, moon lights up the night__  
__I light up when you call my name, and you know I'm gonna treat you right__  
__You give me fever - when you kiss me, fever when you hold me tight__  
__Fever - in the morning, fever all through the night._

_Everybody's got the fever, that is something you all know__  
__Fever isn't such a new thing, fever started long ago._

_Romeo loved Juliet, Juliet she felt the same__  
__When he put his arms around her, he said "Julie baby you're my flame"__  
__Thou givest fever, when we kisseth, fever with thy flaming youth__  
__Fever - I'm afire, fever yea I burn forsooth.__  
__Captain Smith and Pocahontas had a very mad affair__  
__When her Daddy tried to kill him, she said "Daddy-O don't you dare"__  
__Give me fever - with his kisses, fever when he holds me tight__  
__Fever - I'm his Missus, Oh daddy won't you treat him right.__  
_  
_Now you've listened to my story, here's the point I have made:__  
__Chicks were born to give you fever, be it Fahrenheit or Centigrade__  
__They give you fever - when you kiss them, fever if you live and learn__  
__Fever - till you sizzle, what a lovely way to burn.__  
__What a lovely way to burn.__  
__What a lovely way to burn._

I suddenly realized that somewhere in me I had always had these feelings for Carlisle. Somehow, and I didn't really care how at the moment, I had kept them at bay, but now it was as if an alarm had gone off in my head I knew that this wasn't a stupid crush. I knew that I was falling for Carlisle Cullen, and I was falling hard.

We pulled into the hospital parking lot as the song ended and I couldn't bring myself to look at him. I was afraid that if I did he would see in my eyes the realization I had just come to. I couldn't let him know that I wanted him. He would think I was disgusting for wanting a married man, the father of my ex and best friend.

"Isabella?" His voice was gently and smooth. "Isabella, look at me." I couldn't do it. I couldn't look him in the eye and have him reject me. There was no way I could handle being rejected again.

He grabbed my hand in one of his and with his other took my chin, turning me to face him. I kept my eyes closed and tried to control my breathing. "Please look at me." He sounded desperate and I couldn't help but open my eyes and look at him. When I looked into his eyes I gasped at what I saw. His eyes were smouldering and I felt my heart skip a beat. Could be possibly feel the same way about me as I felt about him? The look on his face put me under a spell and I couldn't breathe. I wasn't sure how long I had been staring at him but all of a sudden my lungs decided they needed air and I took a greedy breath. I started to cough and before I knew it Carlisle was outside, opening my door and pulling me out of the car. He leaned me against the car and gently rubbed my back while I tried to catch my breath.

"Easy there, sweetheart. Just take some slow, deep breaths, you're alright." He spoke softly to me. I started to fall forward a bit but he caught me. After a few minutes I was finally feeling ok to lean against the car on my own. I looked over to him and all I saw was concern. All traces of the lust and fire his eyes held a few moments ago were gone.

"Feeling better?"

I nodded.

"Will you be alright here for a moment? I am going to go get you a wheelchair and we will get that cast off okay, dear?" He smiled down at me as he talked. Once again all I could do was nodded my head. He was back before I knew it. We made out way inside the hospital and Carlisle stopped up at the nurses' station. He was speaking to a nurse but I didn't follow the conversation since I was still in somewhat of a daze.

Confusion clouded my mind. I couldn't wrap my head around what had happened in the car. Was Carlisle Cullen really flirting with me? It wasn't possible. He was married to Esme. They always seemed to be happy, but maybe there were things happening that I didn't know about. I took a moment to think about how they interacted with each other. I sorted through my memories and couldn't ever remember seeing them kiss. This confused me even more. They were married. They always seemed to get along, but to never kiss your spouse was a bit mind baffling. Why wouldn't he kiss his wife? It wasn't like she was unattractive or something. She was a beautiful woman and he was a devastatingly handsome man. He had pale kissable lips that were just begging for me to nibble on . . ._whoa get your mind out of the gutter, Swan!_

"Isabella?" I jumped hearing Carlisle's voice next to me. He was crouched down beside the wheelchair looking at me strangely. "Are you alright? You seemed to be miles away."

"I'm fine, just thinking." I smiled slightly.

"Well then, let's get this cast off, shall we?" I nodded eagerly. I wanted the cast off so badly. "Would it be alright if one of the medical students did the procedure? I need to run to my office and gather a few charts. I assure you that she will be able to just fine."

"That's fine with me." I told him. He waved over a young woman from the nurses' station.

"Isabella this is Elizabeth. She will get that cast off for you in no time and I will meet you back here in about 15 minutes or so."

I smiled to her and gave Carlisle a nod.

"I will see you soon then." With that he turned to leave and Elizabeth took me to an exam room. I was thankful to have a few moments away from the blonde god in order to collect my racing thoughts. I felt horrible for lusting after a married man but at the same time I was slightly pissed off at the thought of Esme, or any other woman, touching him. I shook my head and sighed. He wasn't mine. I needed to push these feelings aside. I was suddenly looking forward to an evening away from the Cullen household.

**Okay I know not the best chapter but it is what it is. The next one will be better I swear! Coming up next will be Bella and Charlie's evening. They are going to go visit some friends for the evening and some fun/trouble might happen!**

**Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. I want the good, the bad, and the ugly. I need to know your thoughts so I can make this story all that you want it to be! Till next time folks!**

**Kate**


	5. 5 I Wanna Be Sedated, Closer

**A/N Hey there folks! I know I really suck at updating but between real life getting in the way and me trying to locate my muse, well it took a little while. I know this chapter was supposed to be Bella and Charlie's evening but I need to cover a few things first.**

**I now have a Beta for this story, the lovely Savari! She totally rocks my socks!**

**I do not own Twilight, it is owned by Stephanie Meyers. I just like to play with them too.**

**This chapter is from both POV's. Bella is up first and the song I was listening to for her part was I Wanna Be Sedated by the Ramones. The second half of the chapter is from Carlisle's POV and the song for his portion is Closer by Nine Inch Nails. I know weird choice for him but when you read his part he has a thought that just kind of got the song stuck in my head.**

**I would also like to thank AbbeNormal for her wonderful encouragement! Without her note to me yesterday I don't know if I would have finished this chapter so soon!**

**Okay enough with my long ass A/N. Enjoy the chapter and I will see ya at the bottom!**

**Bella's POV**

To finally have my leg freed from its plaster prison was beyond great. To finally be out of the care of Elizabeth was even better. I swear the woman was worse than Alice, and I didn't think that could even be possible! As soon as we got into the exam room she was talking both of my ears off. Normally I can handle a chatty person, but she asked me questions non-stop. How did I know Dr. Cullen? I'm a family friend. Is Dr. Cullen married? Yes he's married. _But that pisses me off so don't get me started! Whoa what the hell? Where did that come from? Moving on . . ._Is Dr. Cullen's accent real? Yes his accent is real. _And it is also over 300 years old! Ha, wonder if she'd shut up if I told her _that_? _What did Dr. Cullen like to do outside of work? Hmm, not really sure. _What _did_ Carlisle like to do? I would have to ask him sometime. _Dr. Cullen this, and Dr. Cullen that! I was lucky she continued to work while she fired off her questions because I was seriously contemplating slapping her across the face.

When I was finally released from her care, thank God, I made my way to the waiting room to meet up with Carlisle. As I waited for him I took a moment to think about the car ride here. Was Carlisle actually flirting with me, or was I mentally insane? I had to be insane because there was no possible way that he would have been flirting with me. He was married for heavens sake! He was my ex-boyfriend's father, my best friend's father, and possibly the sexiest man – well vampire – I had ever laid eyes on. _Mmm, I wonder what it would be like to lay my hands on him, too? Oh my God, where did that come from!_

The next thing that I needed to examine was the thoughts that had been flooding my mind. Sure, I had always considered Carlisle to be handsome but I had never had sexual thoughts about him. Well, okay that wasn't _entirely _true. The first time I saw him in the ER after the accident with Tyler's van I did want to know what his lips would taste like, along with other parts of his body. I passed it off as a silly crush once I started seeing Edward romantically. After I confronted Edward about my knowledge of him being a vampire, I never thought of anyone but Edward. But now whenever I thought of him I didn't feel anything that could even be considered close to love. I felt sad, hurt, and confused. I would have liked to think that I was over Edward but in the back of my mind I couldn't let go yet. I wanted to know why. Why did he lead me on when he felt like we weren't meant to be together? Why would he think leaving me a letter would be just fine and dandy instead of breaking things off with me in person?

I sighed, slumping back in the chair. I needed to talk to Alice, and soon. Just then my phone chirped with a text message. I pulled it out to see it was from the all-knowing pixie herself.

_I promise we will talk in the morning. Remember everything is gonna be okay. –A_

Morning? Wasn't I going back to the house tonight after dinner with Charlie? My phone chirped again.

_Yes you will be coming back to the house tonight but trust me you will be in no shape to talk. *giggles* don't worry about it, you will be fine! Carlisle is coming. Ttyl and Love ya bunches! –A_

No shape to talk? What was going to happen to me? She said not to worry but what was I suppose to do with a cryptic text like that? Evil little pixie!

I jumped in my seat when someone cleared their throat next to me, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Carlisle standing there with a smirk on his face. Damn he looked sexy. "Carlisle, don't do that! How many times do I have to tell you and your family not to sneak up on me?" His smirk grew slightly and he chuckled lightly. I resisted the urge to smack it off of him, because if I did I would only hurt myself.

"I do apologize, Isabella. I did not mean to scare you," he said as he composed himself. "Are you ready to leave? I am sure your father is looking forward to having dinner with you this evening."

I nodded, snapping my phone shut and standing up. I walked out of the waiting room past Carlisle and made my way towards the staff parking lot. I didn't bother waiting for him to catch up. I wanted to try and keep some distance between us. I made it to his car and waited for him to unlock the doors. I could see him out of the corner of my eye as he made is way toward the car. He unlocked the doors and went to open my door for me, but I actually beat him to it and slid into the seat as fast as I could. I pulled the door shut and buckled myself in, keeping my head turned towards the front window. I could make it through a five minute car trip with him. I was just praying that I could keep my thoughts, hands and hormones in check on the way to the police station.

**Carlisle's POV**

I departed from my mate and took off toward my office. Once inside, I shut the door and leaned back against it. I needed to reign myself in. In the car I could smell my mate's arousal and it made the vampire within me purr with delight. Isabella's body was responding to my touches and my voice. Her body knew that it belonged to me, but her heart and mind were not ready to give themselves over to me as well. Everything within me already belonged to my Isabella, even if she did not know it yet. I needed to keep the beast within me at bay until she knew everything. I really did not know how she would feel if I suddenly came up from behind her and mounted her lovely body. _Oh sweet Lord what would it feel like to bury myself to the hilt within her tight, untouched body? _I still did not know how to tell her about Edward, and about her and myself. I had made a vow to myself that I would not make any moves towards her until she both knew the truth, and had accepted it. What had happened in the car needed to stop; I could not lose control of myself and let my desire overtake me. I was pulled out of my thoughts when my phone started to ring. Reaching into my pocket I retrieved my phone and glanced at the screen. I sighed, seeing that it was Alice. I answered it with some hesitation.

"Hello Alice," I said politely.

"Don't you 'hello Alice' me, Carlisle Cullen! What the hell were you thinking, damn it? You need to rein your shit in or you're going to scare her off." To hear my pixie of a daughter use such language I knew that she meant business. I sighed, fully aware that she was right.

"I know, Alice. I will try to keep myself under better control. I do not want to frighten her. I just don't know how to tell her the truth." I pulled out the small box which I had retrieved from my study earlier and opened it, lightly fingering the ring I had designed for her. It was silver with the Cullen crest on a light blue background in the middle. I knew that I needed to give it to her soon, especially after what had happened back at the house. This ring would hopefully help her to see that she did belong with us. That we wanted her with us. I could hear Alice let out a sigh on the other end.

"First things first, you need to give her the ring. It will help her understand that we want her in our family. It will help her to know that, when you tell her about you two being mates. I know I said she was ready to hear the truth but Bella has decided that she wants to talk to me. She is very confused about what is happening to her and with the things you pulled in the car earlier I really don't blame her! Let me talk to her first and try to get her to understand a few things before you go dropping _that_ whole bombshell on her." Alice told me.

"If you think that talking to her first is best, then I will wait until after you two have spoken." I hoped that they would talk sooner rather than later. I didn't know how much longer I could wait. "How long will I have to wait, Alice?"

"Just till tomorrow afternoon. I'll talk to her in the morning after she wakes up," she assured me. "Carlisle you'd better go, Bella is waiting for you. After you drop her off with Charlie you need to go hunting. Tomorrow will be an emotional day for everyone and you need to make sure you are in complete control of your mating urges. Oh, and Carlisle? No more over the top flirting with her today or you will have me to deal with!"

With that she ended the call and I headed back towards the waiting room to find my mate. While making my way there I reminded myself of the vow I made and controlled my feelings. I would wait to act on them until tomorrow when she knew the truth.

I arrived at the waiting room to find my mate slumped in one of the chairs, staring at her cell phone with a look of utter confusion. Looking at her I could tell that my advances in the car had rattled her more than I originally thought. I smirked sightly at the thought of being able to cause such a reaction in her already. After a few minutes of watching her lost in her thoughts, I cleared my throat unnecessarily to get her attention. She jumped in her seat and whipped her head up to look at me.

"Carlisle, don't do that! How many times do I have to tell you and your family not to sneak up on me?" My smirk grew and I chuckled. She seemed to be a bit ticked off and I had to say that she looked sexy like that.

"I apologize, Isabella. I did not mean to scare you." I let the smirk fall from my face and straightened my stance. "Are you ready to leave? I am sure your father is looking forward to having dinner with you this evening."

She did not speak, but nodded her head as she shut her phone. Standing up from her chair she did not look at me, instead walking straight past me, towards the hospital staff parking lot. I followed her and was confused as to why she was practically running out of the hospital. I was almost to my car when I unlocked the doors. I was about to open her door for her but she already had it opened and was settling herself into the seat. I stood there, looking at her through the window, feeling crushed. What had I done to make her act like this? I sighed and made my way to get in the car. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I spoke.

"Is everything alright Isabella? You were almost running out of the hospital." I was interested to hear what she had to say.

"I'm fine, just looking forward to seeing Charlie," she stated in a somewhat emotionless voice.

"Of course, Isabella," I played along, knowing that she did not want to talk about the real reason. I turned my attention back to driving and within a few minutes we arrived at the station. I put the car in park and turned to my mate. "Well, here you are Isabella. Do you need me to pick you up at Charlie's later?"

"No!" She responded quickly. "I mean- um, I'll drive my truck over myself. I'd like to have it in case I need it." She had a point. I remembered her ring in my pocket and pulled out the box.

"Isabella, I have something for you from the family. Everyone in the family wears something with the Cullen crest on it and I, _we_, decided that you should have something as well, since you are family." I handed her the small black velvet box and watched to see her reaction. She slowly opened it and let out a small gasp.

"Oh my," she whispered. Pulling the ring out of the box she spoke again. "Carlisle, it's beautiful. Are you sure I should wear it though?"

I took the ring from her and slid it onto her ring finger on her right hand. "Yes, my dear Isabella, you should wear it. You are a member of this family- now and for always." Once the ring was in place I did not let go of her hand. I looked up to her and met her eyes with a smile on my face. She smiled back at me.

"Thank you. This means a lot to me. More than you could ever know." She looked so happy. She shocked me when she leaned over and kissed my cheek lightly. The feeling of her lips upon my skin felt like heaven. It was almost as though sparks jumped out from her lips to meet me. All of a sudden she jerked away, as if she felt it as well. Dropping my hand quickly, she fumbled with the seat belt and scurried out of the car, murmuring a goodbye to me as she went.

I waited until she was inside the station and then started my car back up. As I was pulling out of the parking lot I sighed to myself, thinking that maybe I had not screwed things up as much as I thought I had. With one simple kiss to my cheek, my mate gave me some small amount of hope that she might accept me as hers. That thought put a smile on my face as I drove towards my home.

**A/N So what do you think of chapter 5? I don't know about you all but I would like to see Carlisle not control some of his mating urges! *wink wink***

**Anyways next up will be Bella and Charlie's evening. A few more characters will be popping up and what on earth did Alice mean about Bella not being in shape to talk!**

**Let me know what you all think about this chapter and any guess as to what is to come!**

**Reviews put a smile on my face, just like pictures of PFach!**

**Kate**


	6. AN Please Read!

**A/N: **First I would just like to say that I am so sorry that it has been forever since I have updated. I have not forgotten about this story. I just wanted to take a few moments to let anyone who is still interested in reading this story what has been going on.

A few months ago my cousin had a relapse with her cancer. She had breast cancer a few years ago, and it came back a year later. Everything was fine until about six months ago. We found out that it had returned, but she started treatment and everything seemed to be going well. About three months ago she took a turn for the worse. She passed away two weeks ago. It has been hard to deal with but my family and I are doing as well as we can. The hard part for me is that my mother had breast cancer as well, and the fear of hers returning is always there.

Because of all of this I really haven't been in the right frame of mind to write. I am finally starting to feel like continuing this story. I hope that there are still some readers out there who want to read more.

I just want to ask one thing from anyone who is still interested in this story. I am posting a poll on my page in regards to the story and where it will go next. I am a little stuck with the next chapter so I am going to leave it up to you the readers. I will leave the poll up until Monday morning. If I don't get a lot of vote then I will try to make the next chapter work with what I had originally planned. I plan on having the next chapter up by Wednesday evening either way.

I really hope there are still some people out there that want me to continue this story! Please DO NOT REVIEW this authors note. I will be taking it down when I post the next chapter. I you want to send me a private message that would be great but please do not review.

Thank you for your patience!

Kate


	7. 7 Father and Daughter

**A/N : Hey all! Remember me? I don't blame you if you don't. I know I haven't updated in a very, very, very long time. All I can say is I am truly sorry. Real life happens. There was a death in my family that I had to deal with on top of my daily life challenges. **

**I am going to try to update more often, but I can not make any promises. I am a single mom of a 22 month old and a college student. I do not have a super heavy course load this semester but my classes this time around are not going to be a walk in the park. Please just bear with me. I will update as often as possible.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or any of these characters. Well I do own Susan, and you will meet her soon enough. Everything else belongs to the wonderful S. Meyers. **

**See you all at the bottom!**

~*~*~*~YSMF~*~*~*~

**Bella's POV**

While sitting in Charlie's office waiting for him to finish talking to Deputy Maloy, I replayed what happened in the car in my mind. I put my fingers to my lips remembering clearly what I had done.

I kissed him!

I kissed Carlisle Cullen!

I kissed Carlisle Cullen aka Dr. DILF!

I kissed Carlisle Cullen, husband of Esme Cullen!

Shit! Shit! Shit! 

Okay so it was just a kiss on the cheek, but it was still a kiss.

To experience his skin on my lips was divine. He felt soft and smooth but at the same time I could feel the hardness of his marble skin.

The kiss was shocking, literally. My lips felt like they had been jolted by a stun gun, but strangely it was an amazing feeling. I wanted to kiss him again, only this time I wanted to taste and feel his luscious lips.

Gah! What the hell is wrong with me!

I really needed to put a stop to these thoughts. The man is married for crying out loud. It was wrong to be lusting after a married man I knew this. So why couldn't I stop thinking about how good it would feel to run my lips, tongue, hands, hell any part of me on his spectacular body. _Damn it! I am going to hell!_

"Ya ready to go Bells?" Charlie asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Sure." I replied. "What do you want to do for dinner?" I was hoping that he wanted to pick up some take out or eat at the dinner. I was really in no mood to cook after the day I had had.

"Well it's already kind of late, how about we just go to the dinner and pick something up to take home?" He suggested.

"That's fine with me Charlie." I told him while gathering my things and following him outside to his cruiser.

As we drove I took the time to think about how I would ask him about staying with the Cullen's more permanently. Alice had said that he would be fine with it, but I still wanted to approach the topic with him in a way that didn't make him feel like I was choosing them over him. I didn't want it to seem like I didn't want to spend time with him. Even though Charlie and I were not extremely close, he was still my dad and I loved him so much. If he did give me his blessing to stay with the Cullen's I need to come up with a way that we could still spend some time together.

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When we got to the dinner Charlie's cell rang, so I went in alone to get our food. After I gave the waitress my order, I waited at the counter silently ripping a napkin to shreds. My brain was a big jumbled mess of thoughts and I wanted so badly to shut them off. Sometime I really wished my brain had and off button. I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice someone sit down on a stool next to me.

"Hey Bella." I turned my head to see Angela sitting beside me smiling slightly. I hadn't seen her in so long.

"Hey Ang how are ya?" I asked.

"I'm good. Haven't seen you in forever. I've missed hanging out with you chicka." She playfully nudged my shoulder with her own and smiled at me. "I see you finally got you cast off, bet your happy about that."

"I've missed you to." I smiled back at her. I had missed Angela. She was always so calm and level headed. Sometimes I felt as if she was my best friend. "I just got the cast off today. I'm glad to have the use of all my extremities again."

"I bet." She laughed. "So now that you can move on your own again, we should get together and hang out. We need to catch up."

"Definitely!" I chuckled a little. "Got any ideas in mind?" I knew by the gleam in her eye she already had something planned.

"Well not that I think about it I do know of a little party taking place this very evening." I laughed at her a bit. It felt good to laugh again. "We could count it as celebrating your recent release from your plaster prison."

I normally wasn't the type of person who liked to party, but right now it sounded like the perfect thing to me. "You know what Ang I think that sound like a wonderful idea. Where is it at?"

"It's actually down on the Res. There suppose to be a big bonfire on the beach, and there was even talk of some live music." She told me.

"Okay that sounds good to me. I just need to take care of a few things before I go anywhere tonight." I still needed to talk with Charlie and make sure everything went smoothly.

"That's fine. I was thinking about heading down there around 8 or so. Want me to pick you up?" She asked.

I thought about that for a minute. She could pick me up at Charlie's, and I could deal with my truck tomorrow. "Yep that sounds good to me." Just then the waitress set down a bag of food in front of me. She handed me my check. I paid the lady and thanked her.

"Well I need to get going, Charlie is probably get antsy in the cruiser." I laughed and stood up while grabbing the bag. "So pick me up at 8 at my house?"

"You got it Bella. See you at 8." She smiled and stood up from her stool. I gave her a quick hug and headed out to the cruiser. Charlie was just finishing on his phone when I climbed in.

"Everything okay Charlie?" I asked him. He looked tired all of a sudden.

"Ya Bells nothing to worry about." He said quietly. I knew that he was lying but left it alone. "Well let get home, I'm starved."

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We ate dinner in almost total silence. It wasn't unusual for Charlie to be quiet, but I could tell that something was wrong. After I cleaned up our trash, Charlie remained at the table nursing his beer. He would usually got sit in front of the TV and slip into a sports coma after dinner, but he sat that quietly looking like he was gearing up for a speech. I grabbed a bottle of water and sat back down across from him.

"Okay Charlie spill." I broke the silence.

He grunted and wiped his hand over his face. "Bells that was your aunt Susan on the phone earlier. She called to tell me that she was near and wanted to come by for a short visit." I hadn't heard from my aunt in a long time. She was what I called a free spirit. In some ways she reminded me a lot of Renee.

"Well that doesn't sound so bad. Why are you so glum? Do you not want to see her?" I didn't understand what the problem was.

"Of course I want to see her, but knowing her a short visit will turn into a few months. I'm just wondering what happened this time. You know she never shows up unless she is running away from a problem." He sighed and downed the rest of his beer.

He did have a good point. The only time that my aunt showed up was when she needed help, usually financially. I loved her to death but sometimes she made some really bad choices.

"Last time she was here she ended up staying for 7 months. Plus you weren't living here so I had an extra room for her. Hope she doesn't mind sleeping on the couch, not that she really gets to be picky." He got up to get another Vitamin R from the fridge. He stayed standing, leaning back against the sink.

"Actually Charlie I wanted to run something by you that might help this situation out." He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "It's just that I was thinking maybe it would be good for me to stay at the Cullen's house more permanently. I know your always working, and I'm not saying that's a bad thing it's just a fact. Besides I have people my own age to hang out with there. Alice is like a sister to me and she really wants me to stay. Plus Esme is almost always home, since that's where she has her office. So what would you think about me staying there?" I bit my lip and held my breath waiting for him to answer. I hoped he would by my story. I couldn't tell him that just thinking of leaving and moving back in here hurt. I didn't think he would quite understand it, and truthfully I didn't understand it myself.

"Okay." He said after what felt like forever. I looked up at him and breathed out a sigh of relief. "I hate that I won't get to see you often, but I think it would be good for you to stay there too. I know I work crazy hours, and I hate the idea of leaving you here alone most of the time. Even if you aunt stays for awhile, she is not my ideal choice when it comes to having a responsible adult around."

"I'm 17 Charile, I'm hardly some little kid who needs to be watched every second." I glared at him. He chuckled and put his hands up in defense.

"I know but I'm your dad and I still worry." He smiled but then his face turned more serious. "I know your not a baby anymore, and as corny as it sounds you will always be my baby Bells. I don't say it often but I love you kiddo."

I got up from my chair and walked over to him. Charlie and I weren't the type of people who hugged often but I felt the need to then. He hugged me too him and kissed the top of my head. "I love you too dad. Always."

I pulled back from the hug and smiled when I saw a few unshed tears in his eyes. Charlie had the tough guy act down pat, but sometimes he showed what a softie he was underneath. I chuckled a little to break the awkward mood between us.

"Well now that is settled I am going to go up to my room and pack up a few things I want to take over to the Cullen's" He nodded and seemed relieved that our little heart to heart was over. Men and emotions, what do you expect.

I headed up stairs laughing slightly although I didn't really know why. I think it was just from my brain being on a rollercoaster today. I opened my bed room door and flopped down on my bed. Staring up at the ceiling I left myself review over the day. I had had such a weird, crazy, wonderful, and scary day. I fingered my ring while I went down the lift of highlights in my mind.

_Semi-mental break down –check_

_Almost passing out – check_

_Cast removed –check_

_Completely embarrassing myself by kissing a married man -check_

_Heart to heart with father –check_

Just thinking about my day made me tired. I covered my face with my hands and groaned. This day was definitely not going down in the record books as a good day. I really wanted to know when my life became such a fucked up soap opera. Glancing over at my clock I saw that it was already 7:12 and if Angela was picking me up at 8 I need to get ready.

Tonight I would just be Bella. Tonight I would have fun and forget about everything else. I would not think about a certain blonde, golden-eyed vampire. I repeated this to myself, hoping I could forget about him for just a few hours.

I got up from my bed with a clearer head and started to get ready.

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**A/N: So what did ya think of this chapter? This one was hard for me to write. I just couldn't get Charlie right. I hope it is not too bad.**

**Anyone looking forward to the party? Any guess as to what is going to happen?**

**Please leave a review, or if you want send me a private message. I love to hear your comments and thoughts!**

**I am on twitter at darkraven18 if you would like to follow me, I will be posting about updates there.**

**Till next time!**


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